The present invention relates to hermetic terminal assemblies and, more a method and apparatus for fusing glass sleeved terminal pins in housing parts, such as battery covers of the button type.
In the past it has been the practice to assemble terminal pins supportedly disposed in apertures of metallic housing parts such as button type batteries by fusing the glass sleeves surrounding the pins into the housing parts with high intensity heat sufficient to flow the glass and accomplish fusion of the several assembled parts. The present invention recognizes that past fusion processes have not always been entirely successful, with voids developing in the flowed glass which, on occasion, have resulted in wekened hermetic seals and consequent discarding of entire assemblies. Further, such past melting processes often have been inefficient in operation and maintenance, requiring large quantities of energy and complex machinery to carry out the processes.
The present invention, recognizing the deficiencies and inadequacies of past operations, and, more particularly, recognizing the importance of controlling the direction of glass flow, provides a unique, useful and efficient method and apparatus for eliminating such deficiencies and inadequacies, the novel method and apparatus being straightforward and economical in operation and maintenance, resulting in the efficient production of high quality terminal assemblies with a minimum of rejection and failure.
It is generally known in the heating oven art to control the amount of heat emission, such as is taught by unexpired U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,858, issued to D. L. Wagner on May 25, 1982; No. 4,164,642, issued to E. Ebert on Aug. 14, 1979 and No. 3,471, 682, issued to R. M. Hisey, et al on Oct. 7, 1969; all of which teach the control of infrared wave lengths and which utilize reflective and shielding radiation devices. Expired U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,100, issued to C. A. Mills on July 17, 1962, also broadly teaches the utilization of carbon black to control heat ray emission. Further, expired U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,789, issued to B. E. Trainor on Sept. 4, 1962; and No. 3,157,476; issued to H. L. Smith, Jr. on Nov. 17, 1964, both teach devices for controlling and reflecting radiant heat energy. However, none of the aformentioned patents teaches or even remotely suggests the novel method and apparatus of the present invention which, not only recognizes the importance of controlling heating and glass flow in a preselected direction, but which also accomplishes the same in a unique and novel fashion.
Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth hereinafter.